Writing Sample Page

Small Fog by Klara Harper

Sam moved the white, frilly curtain to the side of the window sash, peered out at the cemetery that snugged up to his property line, and as he had every day since he bought this place a week ago, wondered if he had made a mistake.

A small fog cloud hovered above one of the larger headstones near the pine tree which marked the center of the graveyard. His heart thudded a few extra beats against his chest He didn’t believe in ghosts, not one bit, but this image peaked his curiosity.

“Maggie, let’s get out of the house for a bit since the snow has melted.” He had to check out that creepy vapor. His breath was a bit ragged, and he didn’t want to alarm Maggie, so he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Maggie pulled on her black boots, then her red woolen coat, scarf, and hat. “I’m ready to relieve my cabin fever if you are?”

She shot him that sexy, throw him over the edge smile.

He grinned back at her. “Since I never tire of inside exercise, when we get back from our walk, I promise to show you my new moves.”

Maggie laughed. “Nothing wrong with the old moves, but new moves are always appreciated.”

The rush of blood hardened between his thighs. Maybe he should forget about the vapor and snuggle her close skin to skin.

“Come on Romeo, there’s plenty of time when the blizzard’s back. I’m dying to get out for some air.” She extended her hand. “Come on.”

Difficult as it was, he shook the mood.

Sam slipped on his winter coat, and then took her hand.

They walked outside. The tree branches reminded him of a Halloween scene, all bare and spooky. All he needed was to have a black cat run across their path. He laughed to himself.

Maggie dropped his hand and spun around and around like a child. “It’s amazing to draw the cold air deep in my lungs until it hurts.” She stopped, but wobbled forward.

His heart expanded to fill his chest. He loved her, no doubt. He placed his hand on the small of her back, then guided her in the direction of the cemetery.

When they were about fifty feet away, Sam pointed to the fog he’d seen earlier from the window. It was still there. “Do you see that?” He grasped her hand, and pointed with his other toward the cemetery.

Maggie looked up in the aimed direction. “I’ve never seen anything like that before, have you?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. She gripped his hand tighter. “It’s almost as if the fog is moving toward us.”

Sam’s heart thrummed in his chest. He pulled Maggie closer, only to feel her body tense and unyielding. He could not tear his gaze away from the sight. When he tried to move, his feet stayed cemented to the ground.

Large raindrops began to fall. The fog moved closer and closer, until it stopped a few feet in front of them. As it did, a cold breeze threatened to whip his coat like a sail. He snuggled closer to Maggie. “I’m getting totally creeped out here.”

“You aren’t the only one.” Maggie moved in closer to him until she nearly pushed him over. Her breath blew out and in with short, shallow puffs floating through the air.

Sam realized she was terrified. “What do you think? What the hell is that?” He mentally berated himself for buying this house.

Maggie remained motionless. He could feel her shaking now.

The water droplets fell harder. Sam pulled at his hat brim. He looked down to see the droplets turn into small spheres of ice as they hit the bare ground. He’d seen hail and sleet, but nothing like this. What the hell was going on?

Water droplets didn’t turn to ice marbles, in all his experience, when they hit the ground unless manipulated by some force. “Oh God, Mags, I remember reading that when a ghost is present, they are colder than the surrounding area. Do you think that’s why the rain drops are turning to ice when they hit the ground?”

Maggie’s breaths flew quickly away, through the fog that now surrounded them. Sam watched as she raised her hand, palm up. Her gloved hand received the rain, but immediately upon hitting the material, it turned to a small ice pellet. She looked up at him. “I’ve also heard that because they’re dead, colder air surrounds a ghost. We have to get out of here. Run.”

Sam ran, and pulled Maggie along until they reached the safety of the house. Once inside, he dragged off his wet snow gear. “We’re putting this property on the market tomorrow,” he said still not believing what he’d seen, “because that was enough ghost for me, for a lifetime.”

“I’m totally creeped out, and I need to find my balance again.” Maggie had tears in her eyes. “I say we go to a hotel.”

Sam walked over to the window, pulled the curtain back, and even though he was freezing, sweat trickled down his back. A glaze of ice coated the ground, but the vapor cloud or ghost, or whatever the hell it was, was gone.

He turned to see Maggie’s heart pounding under the buttons of her coat.

“Holy shit, Mags! For the first time in my life,” he paused and blew out a breath, “I believe in ghosts.”

Spoiler:

Freezing rain occurs when rain droplets or drizzle fall through air with a temperature below zero and then freeze on impact with the ground or another object to form clear ice – also known as glaze.

Freezing rain tends to start its life as snow, ice, sleet or hail, but passes through a layer of warmer air on the way down. As a result it then melts and returns to a liquid form yet as it continues falling if it passes through colder air again the water droplets become ‘supercooled’. When these supercooled droplets strike ground that is close to or below freezing, they freeze on impact.